The 34-year-old joined up with Roy Hodgson's squad for the Three Lions' qualifying double-header against San Marino and Montenegro and says he will never snub his country when he is picked for international duty.

Rio Ferdinand withdrew from the England squad this week because of a pre-planned fitness programme, but despite being five months older than his former West Ham team-mate, Lampard insists he is just happy to be involved in the squad.

"The older I get, the more I appreciate it every time I play for them," he told reporters.

"It's a very happy, comfortable squad with Roy Hodgson in charge. The manager really relates well with the players.

"It's a young squad but as I've got a bit older I've found that I feel better when I am playing and training regularly.

"If I had a week off in Dubai now I'd probably stiffen up and take three weeks to get back. So I much prefer staying involved and staying fit."

The Blues midfielder reached another milestone against West Ham at the weekend when he scored his 200th goal for Chelsea. His eyes are now set on adding to his 94 caps and reaching a century of games for his country.

He added: "I'd love to get to 100 appearances for England, but six caps in international football is still a relatively long way off, so I'll take it game by game."